From the Darkness
by Icelightning
Summary: Casualty of War Sequel, renamed. Camden continues to recover with the help of 'Dive and Tanya, finally meeting Mallory for the first time. Action incoming with the next chapter.
1. Default Chapter

A Light in the Darkness 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 1: Uncertainty   
  


Author's Note: Yay, finally getting around to typing this thing up. Then I can work on the trades I promised. Yay!   
  


Wildwing sighed, running a hand through his hair. He ran through the speech again, but it didn't calm his nerves. There was just too much at stake. And the fact that he didn't sleep a wink last night only compounded the situation.   
"You shouldn't worry so much," Mallory reprimanded him softly, handing Wildwing a mug of coffee before taking a nearby seat. "You'll do fine."   
He smiled weakly, taking a sip of his drink before putting it down, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."   
"Maybe you should wear the Mask," Mallory suggested and Wildwing shook his head.   
"It's too... impersonal—the press won't be convinced that I'm telling the truth unless I can express my feelings," he explained, half wishing he really could put on the Mask—he wouldn't be so worried then.   
"Well, then don't faint," Mallory smirked and Wildwing blushed.   
"Do I _really_ look that nervous?" he glanced over to her.   
Mallory only nodded in response.   
Wildwing sighed again, returning his eyes to the paper, "I-I can't help it. If I don't do this perfectly, then we might lose Cammy."   
"We won't," Mallory stated confidently. "He's going to stay with us and get better."   
She glanced at the clock and frowned. "It's about time—you should go. Want me to walk with you?"   
"Could you?" Wildwing smiled weakly again. "It'd be nice to have a friendly face..."   
"Sure," Mallory grabbed Wildwing's arm and dragged him to his feet before leading him down the hall. "We'd better hurry, though."   
Wildwing's coffee slowly cooled to room temperature, forgotten.   


Mallory stopped inside the locker room and glanced to Wildwing. He seemed a lot calmer than before, but he was always nervous until he actually _did_ what he was worried about. Now, he was almost completely composed and ready. She let go of his wrist.   
"Well, here you go," Mallory smiled and Wildwing returned hers with one of his own.   
"Thanks," then he blinked. "What? You're not going with me?"   
"You're the one that's good with speeches. I'd probably only lose my temper if I went out there." Mallory shook her head. "Anyways, good luck. I'll be watching you on the TV downstairs."   
Wildwing watched her go back down the elevator, before turning around and walking towards the front entrance of the ice rink. A thought came through his head and he smiled softly. This was one of the few times that he was actually grateful towards both Phil _and_ Klegghorn.   
He walked out the door and into the blinding sunlight. Wildwing winced, but kept on walking, trying to ignore both the sunlight and the crowd of reporters that had suddenly gone quiet at his appearance. The silence was only broken by the occasional snapping of a camera.   
Stepping onto the platform in front of him, Wildwing nodded to Klegghorn. He approached the podium and the silence became more profound. Wildwing took a deep breath and began.   
"As you all have heard, three weeks ago a child—one of our kind—fell to Earth through a dimensional gateway," he paused, then continued. "He is the reason we called this press conference today."   
The silence deepened.   
"The boy's name is Camden Glosshart," Wildwing stated. "He is currently recovering from a mild concussion, blood loss, multiple wounds, and malnutrition."   
A murmur raced through the crowd.   
"Because he is of the same species, we were and still are the most qualified to treat the aforementioned conditions," Wildwing took a breath. "W-We nearly lost him. However, if we had taken him to the hospital, we surely would have.   
The murmur became louder and more pronounced. Cameras started to snap pictures rapidly and reporters began to ask a stream of questions. Wildwing waited silently until the crowd became quiet again.   
"Nosedive and Tanya bonded with the child soon after he woke up. We are happy to announce that, with their help, Camden has begun to recover. He is not strong enough to leave the Infirmary, but he is happily playing with the toys we were able to provide with Captain Klegghorn's aid."   
"We are aware that many of our fans will want to donate toys. To them, I say this: do _not_ donate toys that involve either violence or dinosaurs. Both will only serve to frighten him."   
"To the media: during this crucial time of recovery, we cannot allow humans to have direct contact with him. Therefore, we ask you to not seek him out. If you were to do so, you could make him regress to an earlier stage of recovery. We understand that you wish to have a greater knowledge about his condition, so Tanya has begun working on a web site that will constantly be updated with his progress. Please allow this to be enough for now."   
Some of the reporters muttered darkly, but none had a chance to raise their voices as Wildwing immediately went on with his speech.   
"Anyone that disturbs or scares Camden will be arrested and filed for harassment to the highest extent of the law. Captain Klegghorn assures us we will have the full cooperation of the Anaheim Police Force in protecting the child."   
Voices rang out in protest.   
"Please," Wildwing sighed, "you must try to understand—Camden is a trauma victim. He has been through so much, that if he became too excited, it would pose a serious threat to his health and well-being. We are only looking out for him. When he is better, and has grown to trust humans, we will hold a structured interview with only approved questions—again, to protect him from harm. This is the best way for him and for us."   
He sighed again, then regrettably told his audience, "You may now, in an orderly fashion, ask me questions about Camden. Please raise your hands and I will call on you. I will not answer questions spoken out of turn."   
Wildwing pointed to a nearby reporter and they exploded into action, asking a rapid-fire question that Wildwing quickly answered. Another question followed and then another after that.   
No, the entire team hadn't met him yet. No, they were still investigating how he arrived on Earth. Yes, he liked stuffed animals. No, he wasn't strong enough to go swimming yet. Yes, he had a good appetite. Yes, no, no, yes, no, yes, yes, yesno, nonoyes... It all quickly became a blur.   


A laser blasted out the screen of the Raptor. "Glosshart? _Glosshart?_ That little brat is _still_ alive?"   
Dragaunus stalked the control room in barely contained fury, "He should have been dead months ago! And to think that one of my top generals was so incompetent as to let him free! I wanted him to suffer for the trouble his father caused!"   
Chameleon winced, but stayed quiet. It was best to say nothing when Dragaunus was this angry. Wraith, however, tried his luck.   
"Perhaps this can be to our advantage," the ancient Saurian stated slowly.   
Dragaunus whirled around to look at Wraith, his eyes narrowing in anger, "_How?!_"   
"We kill the child before he has the chance to completely recover. If he is dead, then the Ducks cannot try to rescue him, nor can they help him recover from what our brethren have done to him." Wraith paused. "In short, we could send the Ducks into a deep mourning."   
A smirk crossed his lord's face, "Yes... That would hit them deeply. But when we kill him, we must strike quickly after his death before their grief turns to anger."   
"Uh... Boss?" Siege shifted his weight from one foot to another. "They won't let the kid out of the Pond, so how do we get him?"   
"We wait, you fool!" Siege shrunk back at Dragaunus's yell. "We wait until they least expect it... And then we take him away, killing the child right in front of their eyes!"   


Camden exploded into a fit of giggles, nearly falling off the cot; he shook his head rapidly, "Noooo! T-That's not right!"   
Nosedive, having pulled a sock over his upper bill, mustered his best innocent look. Camden, taking another look at Nosedive, immediately began giggling again. Nosedive then stuck a sock over his lower bill and Camden giggled even harder. He _was_ supposed to be helping Camden change his clothes, but the boy was looking a little depressed. This was definitely an improvement.   
Tanya rolled her eyes as she walked into the room, "Aren't you a little too old to need help putting on your clothes?"   
He blushed and quickly pulled the socks off, "U-Uhm..."   
"You're such a kid, sometimes—no wonder why Camden likes you so much," Tanya winked to Camden and he giggled again, nodding his head enthusiastically in response.   
Nosedive smiled and ruffled Camden's hair, "You..."   
Camden was already distracted, noticing Tanya hiding something behind her back, "W-What is it?"   
Tanya smiled, watching the boy squirm with curiosity. These last three weeks had done so much good for him. With their advanced medicine, Camden's wounds had finally healed over and most of the scabs were gone. His eyes were shining brightly and his interest to the world around him was becoming greater everyday. Camden's body was also starting to fill out as he gained weight and a healthy coat of Duckling Yellow feathers was starting to push out the old transparent ones.   
This was, of course, only the first leg in a long journey for him. Soon, he would begin to have nightmares. That was when the real test of his strength would come.   
For now, Tanya was glad Camden was so young—children his age tended to recover the fastest, mostly because they were unable to completely comprehend what had happened to them. They instead focused on the now more than the then and for that, she was grateful. However, it would only be a matter of time before his thoughts came back to his...   
"What is it, what is it?!" Camden's excited plea brought Tanya back to reality and she laughed.   
Tanya grinned and pulled the object out in front of her so that Camden could look, "I see I can't hide anything from you..."   
"A ball!" Camden grabbed the thin rubber sphere, looking at in with absolute delight. "Just my size!"   
"It is, isn't it?" Tanya laughed again—Camden's euphoria was catching.   
"Yep! That means we can play catch!" Nosedive backed up a few steps. "Throw it here, Cammy!"   
Camden glanced at Nosedive, watching the other Puckworlder closely. A thought occurred to him and he smiled mischievously. Aiming carefully, he promptly bounced the ball off of Nosedive's forehead.   
"Got you!" Camden laughed.   
Nosedive blinked a few times before he realized what Camden expected him to do, "Aggh! My head! My poor head!"   
He pretended to walk around in a dizzy state, clutching his "hurt" head in his hand. This, being Camden's goal, caused the boy to start giggling loudly as Tanya burst into laughter. Nosedive eventually "fell" to the ground and laid absolutely still. ...Absolutely still, except for the silent laughter that shook his body.   
"He never could sit still for very long," Tanya shook her head and poked Nosedive with the tip of her boot.   
"Even when he sleeps?" Camden's eyes went wide in mock astonishment.   
"Oh, especially when he sleeps!" Tanya smirked to Nosedive. "Wildwing's considering strapping him down at night."   
Camden blinked a few times in confusion, "W-Who's Wildwing...?"   
Tanya and Nosedive glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. How could they explain it to him? Camden didn't know about the others yet...   
Nosedive sighed and smiled sadly, "He's my big bro'."   
"Y-You have a b..big brother?" Camden smiled a moment until a thought occurred to him and his smile quickly faded.   
He quietly pulled his plushie into his arms and began to cry. Nosedive's eyes went wide and he looked to Tanya desperately, unsure of what to do. Tanya's eyes softened as she pulled Camden into her lap, hugging him close.   
"It's not your fault," Tanya whispered to Nosedive. "He had a big brother of his own..."   
Had being the keyword—Nosedive's shoulders sagged. He didn't mean to upset Camden like that! But now he was crying...   
Guilt swelling in his heart, Nosedive wrapped his arms around the boy, joining in the hug. Tears swelled in his own eyes and he held Camden close. Those damn Saurians...   
"Cammy," Nosedive nuzzled the boy and gently pulled him out of Tanya's arms, "I-I know you m-miss him, but—"   
"—I-I want m-my mommy and my d-daddy! And my brother and s-sissy, too!" Camden sobbed, burying his face into Nosedive's chest. "I-I miss t-them!"   
"I know you do, but t-they're not in p-pain anymore," Nosedive held Camden tighter.   
"T-They d..died 'c-cause of m-me!" Nosedive's grip tightened at Camden's words.   
"It's n-not your fault!" Nosedive stated firmly, although his voice shook. "I-It's those lizards'..."   
Camden shook his head violently, "B-But..."   
"No buts, Cammy; they gave your lives for you because they loved you," Nosedive didn't need to hear anymore from Cammy to guess at the basic truth of what happened.   
"I-I wish t..they didn't!" Camden's sobs mixed with peeps of distress. "T-Then t..they'd still b-be alive! I-I wish n-no one loved m-me! I-I wish I w..was d-dead!"   
"Cammy, no!" Nosedive pleaded loudly. "That's not true!"   
Camden looked up to Nosedive, eyes widening in terror as his body stiffened. The yell had scared him. Nosedive quickly realized his mistake.   
"Shh... Shh... I-It's okay, Cammy..." Nosedive forced himself to relax his hug, gently nuzzling the boy's cheek. "I-I love you... I-I'd never hurt y-you..."   
The child slowly relaxed and began to cry softly again, burying his face in Nosedive's chest once more. Tanya watched them sadly, praying to the stars that Camden would be able to get through this in one piece. But he had made it this far and that gave her hope.   
It hit Nosedive while he was stroking Camden's hair. He had told the boy he loved him. Only three short weeks and he already...   
Nosedive smiled softly at the thought. Now he knew how Wildwing felt when he cried... And why Wildwing had gone to such lengths to protect him.   


Duke sighed and laid back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. The child had been living at the Pond for three weeks now. And in those three weeks, Duke had yet to meet him.   
He wasn't actually sure if he wanted to meet Camden or not. Half of him wanted to help the child recover, while his other half wanted no part of it. The thief had almost no experience with children. He was afraid of seeing Camden almost as much as he was of scaring him.   
The child had been thin, dangerously thin, and he had only a long, filthy rag for clothes. That brought back... Unpleasant memories—events in Duke's life he wished never happened. His childhood, his life on the streets, the Invasion... No, he didn't want to remember any of that. Wasn't living through it once already bad enough? Did he have to face the memories all over again?   
If that was all that was holding Duke back, it would have been enough. The memories were, however, compounded with the fear that the child be afraid of him. His eye patch, the way he talked, the way he walked—everything spoke of his former life of crime. The mallard wasn't gentle like Tanya or Nosedive. After everything that had happened to him, how could he be? He might even hit...   
Duke quickly shook his head to rid himself of that thought.   
-_N-No! I'd never..._- he sat up, then lifted a hand to stare at it. -_I-I'm shakin'. Why am I shakin'?_-   
"I need a drink," Duke declared to himself before getting off the bed and walking quickly out of the room, hoping to leave the memories behind.   


Duke entered the kitchen a few minutes later, immediately going to the fridge. Rooting around the contents inside, he looked for something to settle his nerves. He found a beer and pulled the bottle out only to nearly drop it when someone spoke.   
"Mind a bit occupied, Duke?" Tanya asked, smiling softly at Duke's back.   
The mallard whirled around half-way, only letting his muscles relax when he saw it was only one of his teammates. He laughed nervously before replacing the look on his face with a smile. Hopefully she hadn't caught sight of his face when he first came into the kitchen.   
"H-Hey there, sweetheart," Duke continued to fake his smile. "I guess I was a little preoccupied—nothing serious."   
"It looked serious to me," Tanya stated.   
Duke cursed his distracted mind, kicking the door to the fridge gently shut. Tanya cocked her head at Duke curiously, wondering what he was going to say. She then saw the bottle in his hand and let out an exclamation.   
"Duke, how many times to do I have to tell you that you can't have that?!" Tanya stood and swiped the bottle out of Duke's hands—he was too surprised by her sudden outburst to react. "I-I don't care how much tolerance you've developed over the years—alcohol here is a lot stronger than it was on P-Puckworld!"   
She threw the bottle into the sink, upon where it shattered. Tanya fell back into her seat, shaking. Duke stared at her in shock, not exactly sure what to say. The woman hiccupped back a sob and Duke's eyes softened. If there was a thing he hated to see, it was a woman in distress. He sat down next to Tanya, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders.   
"Tanya, what's wrong?" Duke whispered, wondering if anything bad had happened to Camden; he prayed that wasn't the case.   
"C-Camden misses h-his f..family," Tanya replied, her voice quiet. "H-He cried h-himself to s..sleep. Oh, Duke..."   
He tightened his grip while she continued. "T-There was n-nothing w-we could s-say to help..."   
She glanced up to him, barely holding in her tears, "Why? W-Why did this h-have to happen t-to Cammy?"   
Duke immediately noticed the dark circles under Tanya's eyes. She obviously hadn't been sleeping very well in the past few weeks. Tanya didn't have the ability to control her emotions anymore. She was simply too exhausted.   
"I don't know," Duke admitted, shaking his head. "But I do know ya would be able ta help 'im better if ya got a decent 'mount of sleep."   
"B-But he _needs_ me!" Tanya exclaimed appalled by the idea of leaving Camden.   
"Camden needs ya rested up," Duke stated. "Now you're gonna go to your room an' you're gonna take a nap. A long nap."   
"The mess..." Tanya offered half-heartedly; she was tired, but she wasn't going to admit it.   
"I'll clean it up," Duke helped her to her feet. "I'll go tell Nosedive what 'appened."   
"But-"   
He gave Tanya a gentle, but firm, shove, "Go."   
She sighed, then did as told and left for her bedroom.   
Duke watched her leave before turning around to the mess at hand. He picked up the glass shards, careful not to hurt himself, and then ran water to wash out the sink. All the while, he grew more and more worried. Why was Tanya suffering from lack of sleep? Was Camden's condition that bad?   
-_Only one way ta find out,_- Duke walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the Infirmary. -_I'll hafta check it out myself._-   
He could only hope that the child was asleep. Camden would be scared of Duke and he knew it. Duke had a missing eye, a scarred beak, and an air of... He didn't know, but he wasn't going to risk scaring that kid. Not if he could help it—even if he had to make sure that the child never saw him.   
If only there was some other way. If only he could make the child trust him. If only...   
Duke continued on his way, both worried and excited, a million questions running through his head. A million questions he wanted the answers to. But would he like the answers when he heard them?   
The halls grew more lonely as he made his way. There was only one way to know. There was only one way...   
His answers would be awaiting him in the Infirmary.   


*End of Chapter One* 


	2. Musings

From the Darkness....   
  
By Icelightning   
  
Chapter 2: Musings   
  
  
  
Author's Note: *Coughs* Ahem. *Sings* It was the fanfic that would never end... It went on and on my friend! Ice starting writing it, not knowing what it was, but she'll be writing it forever just because it was the fanfic that would never end... *Innocent look* Well, that's how this chapter felt like. And my fanfic decided to take a life of it's own. Again. Thanks to Ottercub for ideas! =P Somehow they're sneaking their way into my fanfic. I think my fanfic is in love with Ottercub and is trying to get favors from her. O.o; At least, that would explain a lot! At any rate.. Onto the fanfic!   
  
Author's Second Note: Everyone's too happy in this chapter. Grr. I'm going to have to make sure that doesn't happen again! Oh, wait, I did. HA! .... Although the action doesn't happen until the next chapter. =P   
  
Author's Third Note: The ending didn't quite come out the way I wanted, but this chapter has taken so long that I really don't care. No offense, but if I wait to get that ending just perfect, this chapter will never get out. =P   
  
  
Duke stood uncertainly in front of the Infirmary door, deliberating over whether it would be safe for him to enter. What if the boy woke up while he was in there? If he scared Camden, he'd never forgive himself...   
That wouldn't happen. Camden had to be asleep. He'd just go in there quickly to check how the boy looked and he would leave. Maybe he would even keep Nosedive company for a while. The child would be tired after crying like that, wouldn't he? Right?   
-_Ya ain't gonna get nowhere just standin' here,_- Duke quietly berated himself, shaking his head. -_There's only one way ta find out..._-   
Duke walked into the Infirmary, the doors sliding shut after he entered. Silence greeted him. It was obvious that the child was asleep and Duke sighed in relief. There would be no chance of him scaring the boy now...   
Nosedive was sitting with his back to Duke, his arms wrapped around something. Probably the child, Duke realized when he thought about it for a moment. The teenager was humming something gently under his breath as he rocked gently back and forth. He had to be holding the boy, then.   
"How is he?" Duke asked in a whisper as he walked over to Nosedive's side and sat down in a chair.   
The teenager's response was to all but fall off the cot he had been sitting on, barely stopping himself from dropping the little boy in his arms. He stared at Duke in shock for a moment, having been taken by surprise, before he began to blush. Thankfully, Camden had exhausted himself enough that he continued to sleep despite Nosedive's reaction.   
"He was crying earlier," Nosedive managed to get out after his blushing had subsided a bit, "And he misses his family..."   
Duke's eyes softened, "Can't really blame the kid. He's been through a lot..."   
Nosedive nodded quietly and hung his head, "And it didn't help that I told him that Wildwing's my big bro'! It was my fault that he remembered his family was dead in the first place! I should've just lied!"   
"Kid..."   
"It's true!" Nosedive sighed, hugging the little boy tighter to his chest. "I practically made him remember!"   
"He woulda remembered about 'em eventually, Nosedive," Duke replied, frowning. "It's not your fault."   
"B-But it--Mmph!" Duke clamped his hand over Nosedive's beak when the teenager's voice began to rise.   
"Shh, you'll wake 'im if you keep that up," Duke smiled slightly when Nosedive blushed again, and he let go of the teenager's beak.   
"S-Sorry..." Nosedive looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment--what had he been thinking?   
Silence came over the Infirmary, neither mallard knowing what to say. Duke's gaze trailed over the toys scattered around Camden's cot and smiled softly. The kid was at least well enough that he could play a little.   
Eventually Nosedive, most of the reddness in his cheeks gone, turned back to Duke with confusion, "Why did you come, anyways?"   
"Taunny wasn't sleeping well," Duke sighed, "I wanted ta know if Camden was really that bad off."   
"No shit she hasn't been sleeping well," Nosedive frowned and shook his head, ignoring Duke raising his eyebrow at the curse, "And Cammy's getting better everyday, at any rate. She's just worried that he'll get sick or something. His immune system ain't too good yet."   
Duke nodded, glancing to Camden, "So, how is he, anyways?"   
"Besides the crying fit?" Nosedive smoothed down Cammy's hair as the boy slept. "Pretty good, although he's getting rather mischievious."   
"Oh?"   
"He purposely bonked me in the head with a ball earlier today."   
Duke snorted in laughter, "I'm sure you played that up."   
"Of course!" Nosedive gave Duke a mock-incrediblous look. "What would you expect from me?"   
"Nothing less than you being a complete ham," Duke smirked.   
"Hey!" Nosedive whined, although with a smile.   
Duke feigned innocence.   
Nosedive stuck out his tongue and Duke grinned, "No wonder why Cammy likes ya. You're too much like a kid yourself."   
The teenager gave him a mock-glare, "If he wasn't asleep on my lap, I'd have to hurt you."   
"Excuses, excuses..." Duke smirked again, "Aren't ya supposed ta be takin' it easy still?"   
"Naw! That was a long time ago," Nosedive rolled his eyes, "You're getting old. Can't even remember the time now, can you?"   
"Watch it."   
The teenager just grinned back innocently in response.   
  
  
Tanya, after a long nap, came back and relieved Nosedive of his watch, practically shoving him out of the infirmary while telling him to get some rest. Nosedive found himself wandering down the halls, trying to hold back a yawn. He really could use the rest.   
A chuckle behind him suddenly made him jump and he whirled around to face an amused Wildwing.   
His older brother tilted his head a little to look at Nosedive, "A bit tired, baby bro'?"   
Nosedive's response was cut off by a yawn and Wildwing rolled his eyes, "Bed, you."   
"Aw man..." Nosedive whined softly, but otherwise didn't protest as Wildwing wrapped an arm around his shoulders and started leading him back to their room.   
"You shouldn't stay up late worrying about Cammy so much, 'Dive. He's a strong kid from what you've been telling me." Wildwing nuzzled his brother's forehead when the teenager rested his head up against him.   
"But I made him cry..." Nosedive whispered and Wildwing blinked.   
"What do you mean...?" Wildwing nuzzled Nosedive again when the younger of the two sighed.   
"I told him about you..." Nosedive pressed a bit closer into Wildwing, seeking comfort, "And then he remembered about his f-family..."   
Wildwing's eyes softened, "He would've eventually remembered about them, anyways, baby bro'..."   
"That's what Duke said.." Nosedive sighed, looking down at the floor. "I-It doesn't make me feel any less horrible, though..."   
"Nosedive..." Wildwing pulled his brother closer as they reached the door to their room. "Things like that happen... You shouldn't blame yourself."   
"But.." Nosedive's protested weakly, too tired to put up much of an argument.   
"No buts, baby bro'. Let's just get you in bed and we can talk about it when you're more coherent, okay?" Wildwing punched in the code to open the door, then lead his brother over to his bed. "You can sleep in my bed. Stars know that you're too tired to climb up to yours."   
"Huh? ... 'k..." Nosedive mumbled, before crawling under the covers and curling up.   
Wildwing chuckled sadly and stroked Nosedive's hair, "Shh. Just go to sleep."   
Nosedive mumbled something unintelligible and was asleep a minute later, breathing softly. Wildwing rolled his eyes, tucking his brother in. Judging from how tired Nosedive had been, he wouldn't be up for a number of hours.   
"Just get some sleep, baby bro'," Wildwing whispered to the sleeping form in front of him, "And leave the worrying to me."   
  
  
"You really think he'll be okay with this?" Mallory looked to Tanya uncertainly. "I mean, after..."   
"He'll be okay with it," Tanya smiled, stroking Camden's hair as the boy slept. "You're only scary when you're angry."   
"HEY!" Mallory gave Tanya a withering glare, which the other woman promptly ignored. Tanya just hummed quietly, trying her best not to laugh and even harder not to smile.   
The red-head beside Tanya took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She didn't want to scare Camden, Mallory told herself repeatedly. Especially after all he had gone through. No, she didn't want to be the enemy...   
"Heh.. He _is_ pretty cute," Mallory shook her head, a smile creeping up on her, her anger fading. "Heard from Duke that he played a trick on Nosedive..."   
"You mean you and Duke are on speaking terms again?" Mallory grated her teeth at that question. Did Tanya _have_ to bring up the other night?   
"Yes," Mallory replied, taking another deep breath. "He said he won't drink the rest of the coffee without making another pot first."   
"... And how much bodily harm did you threaten him with if he didn't?" Tanya carefully hid her smile again.   
Mallory smirked, "Oh... I only stopped at one specific body part."   
Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes, "I suppose that was the best case scenario.. Did you threaten to use his own sword on him?"   
"Of course," Mallory grinned viciously and Tanya shook her head.   
"You two act like children," Tanya rolled her eyes and glanced back down to Camden.   
"He started it, not me!" Mallory frowned and Tanya tried her best not to laugh once again.   
"I'll just take your word for it," Tanya replied, hiding a snicker. "But, at any rate, Cammy should be waking up soon."   
"How soon?" Mallory asked, shifting a bit closer to the boy. "He looks like he could sleep for few hours..."   
"Oh, pretty soon I'm guessing since it's nearly time for his bath," Tanya smiled, "He was pretty excited in the morning when I told him that he was finally going to be able to have a bath... His wounds are healed enough that it won't hurt them anymore."   
Mallory shook her head and grinned, "That excited over a bath?"   
"He may be clean, but he hasn't had a bath in months," Tanya smoothed down the duckling's hair. "He was talking about all the stuff he wanted to do in the bath..."   
"Are you saying that, if I'm going to help, I should probably be wearing a bathing suit and plan on getting soaked?" Mallory smirked when Tanya smiled slyly. "He's worse than Nosedive..."   
"Much, much worse," Tanya agreed with a laugh, rolling her eyes. "Nosedive's been making him hyper lately."   
"Oh?" Mallory raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was still recovering..."   
"He is, but that doesn't stop him from having giggle-fits," Mallory snorted with laughter at Tanya's reply.   
"Giggle-fits?"   
"Yes, giggle-fits," Tanya smiled down to the boy, "And they're catching."   
"What, Nosedive went giggly on you a few times?" Mallory grinned evily.   
"Uh, I'm not at liberty to say."   
"_And_ he swore you to secrecy, too?" Mallory's grin widened. "Oooh, blackmail."   
Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes once again, "Just don't whine to me when he pranks you for it."   
"I think he's a little too busy snoring away to be pranking. Wildwing told me that he was out cold," Mallory smirked, "I'll have plenty of time to come up with something evil while he sleeps."   
"I'm sure you will, too," Tanya was about to add another comment, but she blinked when she felt movement under her hand. "Shh, Cammy's waking up."   
"He is?" Mallory fidgeted, suddenly nervous.   
Tanya nodded, going back to stroking Camden's hair, "Did you sleep well, Cammy?"   
Camden, barely awake, nodded and curled up in the direction of Tanya's voice, "... Yeah..."   
"That's good to hear," Tanya chuckled as the boy yawned, "I've got a new friend for you to meet."   
The duckling blinked his eyes open, looking to Tanya, "R-Really?"   
"Yup!" Tanya replied cheerfully, shaking her head with a smile. "She's very excited to be meeting you.."   
"Where is she?" Camden's eyes went wide with excitment and Mallory found herself having to bite back a laugh.   
"Right behind you, silly," Mallory replied, forcing back another laugh back when Camden gasped and turned to stare at her. She rolled her eyes and smiled down to the little boy, her earlier nervousness already forgotten. "I'm Mallory. Tanya's been telling me a lot about you--"   
"I like Taunny!" Camden piped up and Mallory raised an eyebrow.   
"Taunny?" Mallory glanced over to Tanya, giving her an amused look. "She lets you call her that?"   
Camden nodded vigorously, "Uh-huh! She said I can 'cause I'm special!"   
Mallory looked back to Camden and laughed as he puffed out his little chest proudly, "Oh, I see how it is..."   
The duckling just grinned to her.   
Tanya's eyes filled up with tears as she listened to Camden chatter away to Mallory. He had come so far in so little time... Camden was almost ready to leave the Infirmary and move in with someone. She knew, however, that his recovery would prove to be a double-edged sword. While he would grow heathier everday, and be able to start taking lessons from her, there would be a new, devestating after-effect stemming from the horrors he had suffered.   
Camden would begin to have nightmares. Horrible, awful nightmares. So bad that he would refuse to sleep by himself, would cry himself back to sleep, and could possibly even regress in his emotional recovery. Tanya suspected that his mind had buried the memories of what had happened to him, but that wouldn't save him from the nightmares. Even if he didn't remember anything, his subconsciousness always would. And it was his subconsciousness, not him, that determined what he would dream.   
A tug at her sleeve provided a welcome break from her morose thoughts, and she looked down to see Camden looking up at her with worried eyes, "Why are you sad?"   
"O-Oh!" Tanya blushed, then quickly shook her head and smiled, "I was just thinking about something, sweetie.. Don't worry about it."   
"..But I don't want you to be sad anymore.." Camden sniffled, his eyes becoming moist.   
Tanya's heart broke, and she opened up her arms to the little boy, smiling weakly, "Then give me a hug so I don't have to be sad anymore!"   
Camden grinned, glad he could do something to help Tanya, and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, "Then I'll give you lots of hugs!"   
Mallory shook her head at Camden, smiling softly. That boy was too cute for his own good. Maybe she'd have to buy him some more toys... Mallory fully intended to spoil him, and enjoy doing it.   
"Oh no, I think Camden's going to squeeze me to death!" Tanya laughed, smiling as her comment earned a giggle from the boy.   
"I'll save you!" Mallory grinned evilly and reached over to tickle the boy, causing him to squeal in surprise.   
"Noooo!" Camden giggled, trying his best to squirm from the tickling, but failing miserably. "Ahh, Taunny!"   
Tanya gave him an innocent look as he squirmed in her arms, "What? I'm not doing anything..."   
"Heeeelllp!" Camden cried, still giggling hysterically.   
"Oh, is _that_ what you want?" Tanya asked with obviously amusement in her voice.   
"Please??" Camden begged, trying his best to give her sad eyes while being tickled.   
She mock-sighed, giving him an amused look so he knew she was kidding, "Oh, if I must."   
Rolling her eyes, Mallory shared a look of amusement with Tanya before the taller woman struck clean and swiftly. Mallory let out a surprised yelp, not expecting Tanya to use that particular avenue of attack, and backed away, stopping her assault on Camden. A second later, she realized that she had backed too far away, toppling off her seat and onto the floor.   
Camden took one look at Mallory's stunned look and burst out laughing, "S-She's ticklish!"   
Tanya smirked as Mallory gave her a glare, "Seems that way, doesn't it?"   
The boy nodded quickly and Mallory sighed, replacing her frown with a smirk, "That was sneaky... Want to help me get her back, Cammy?"   
He burst into giggles and nodded, joining Mallory's revenge-tickling, Tanya too wide-eyed in surprise to stop them.   
  
  
  
Nosedive yawned and stretched, finally waking up a number of hours later. Wildwing, hearing his brother's movement, glanced over the edge of his book and raised an eyebrow in amusement. The younger of the two brothers didn't see Wildwing's expression or chose to ignore it completely.   
"Finally awake, baby bro'?" the white mallard shook his head and smoothed down Nosedive's tangled hair when he pulled his blanket down.   
Nosedive shook his head slowly in response and then pulled the blanket back over his head, causing Wildwing to snort, "Or not.. Still sleepy?"   
"A little," Nosedive mumbled, yawning quietly under his covers, "Did Cammy wake up?"   
"A couple of hours ago," Wildwing stated, shaking his head at his brother with a smile. "He met Mal, too."   
Nosedive forced himself awake, pulling his blanket away, and stared at Wildwing in shock, "R-Really?"   
"Don't worry, Mal got along with him just fine," Wildwing chuckled, smiling as he watched his brother visibly relax. "She's been better with kids ever since she met Buzz."   
"Yeah, well, she was a bit touched about the way he was trying to impress her, even if it was a bit annoying," Nosedive grinned. "He's a pretty cool kid once he stops trying to hide his real self."   
He blinked, realizing something, and then glanced up to his brother, "Hey, speaking of Buzz... He hasn't been by in a while, has he?"   
Wildwing thought back to the last few weeks in surprise and then shook his head, "Not in the last couple of weeks. Huh, that's weird--he usually swings by here at least weekly."   
"Do you think he could be avoiding us because of Cammy?" Nosedive asked, finally sitting up. "He's a genius, you know, so he'd be able to figure out that we were busy with the little guy, and that he would be scared of humans, even without that speech of yours."   
"You're right, 'Dive," Wildwing sighed and frowned, "But visiting us is the highlight of his weeks. It's gotta be hurting him by now."   
Nosedive nodded, "That's what I was thinking. You know, Cammy has to meet humans eventually... Buzz might make a good playmate for him, especially if he's already met Mallory. He trusted me pretty quick because I was friends with Tanya, so that's probably why he trusted Mallory, too. It might happen the same way with Buzz, even if the kid's a whole different species from us."   
"You might be right, but we'd better check with Tanya first," Wildwing smiled, "She's the one that's got the most training for this sort of thing."   
"Probably, but it would be good if Cammy had another kid to play with," Nosedive shrugged. "Although we'll have to tell Buzz to not get too excited. That kid's rather... hyper sometimes, you know?"   
Wildwing laughed, "Just a little bit, yeah. But he'll understand why once we explain to him how scared Cammy is."   
"And once Cammy's used to him, it'll be okay for him to be hyper," Nosedive rolled his eyes. "Cammy can get pretty hyper himself sometimes."   
"Especially when you put a sock over your beak," Wildwing smirked and Nosedive flushed.   
"Tanya told you about that?!" Nosedive moaned, burying his face in his hands. "Oh man..."   
"Don't worry about it, baby bro', you looked cute in the pictures!" Wildwing laughed and Nosedive's eyes went wide.   
"She got pictures?!" the teenager looked like he was going to have a heart attack, but then he blinked and his eyes narrowed. "Wait a second... She didn't get pictures!"   
"Made you freak out though, didn't I?" Wildwing gave his brother a lop-sided grin as Nosedive glared death in his direction.   
"You are so freakin' pranked, 'Wing, you are _**so**_ freakin' pranked!" Nosedive warned. "The second you let your guard down, you're gonna get it."   
"I'll keep that in mind," Wildwing ruffled his brother's hair.   
"HEY!" Nosedive tried to desperately fix it, "Hands off the hair!"   
"It's not like I killed it or anything!" Wildwing raised an eyebrow. "It's already messed up from you sleeping, anyways."   
"So?"   
"So I can't do anymore damage to it," Wildwing stated, smirking to Nosedive.   
"At least I have hair!" Nosedive retorted and Wildwing mock-glared at him.   
"I have hair, it's just the same color as my feathers!" Wildwing replied instantly--it was Nosedive's little game to tease him, and it was Wildwing's little game to never be caught off guard by it.   
"Everyone only says that because they feel sorry for you," Nosedive shook his head. "Really, bro', you should know that by now!"   
"Humph!" Wildwing crossed his arms and pretended to pout, causing Nosedive to snort with laughter.   
"You've been around me too much, 'Wing," Nosedive rolled his eyes and grinned wider, pointing to himself. "But then again, with a face this cute, who could resist?"   
Wildwing ruffled his brother's hair once more, causing the younger to let out an indignant squeak, "WING!"   
"If you're so worried about how you look, then maybe you should go take a shower," he stated with a smirk. "Or at least comb through your hair--it's a mess."   
"I wonder how that happened . . . " Nosedive rolled his eyes. "Have any leads?"   
"Nope, none. The criminal got away with a trace," Wildwing replied and Nosedive snorted.   
"Uh-huh, riiiiiiiight; I'll just go take my shower before he strikes again," The teenager finally got up and headed towards the shower, mumbling under his breath, "The next time he won't be able to go anywhere without a trace!"   
  
  
Nosedive was still contemplating what would qualify as adequate payback while he was styling his hair. All of the ideas that he had come up with so far were inappropriate given the situation, too evil, or simply not evil enough. Nosedive rarely stroved for perfection in his everyday life, except when it came to his hair and his pranks. Neither were quite to his standards today and that irked him. His hair was at least progressing towards a more polished state.   
He would have to be careful about the nature of his next prank, however. It would have to be good enough to satify him, but at the same time it could not make Wildwing explode. With Cammy both nearly healed and ready to leave the Infirmary, bad timing could result in him seeing Wildwing's response to Nosedive's prank. An angry response could deal setbacks to Camden's emotional recovery and that would be very, very bad.   
So the best type of prank would be one that wouldn't anger Wildwing and immediately make the others laugh. The funnier it was to the others, the more likely Wildwing would quickly join in with their laughter. If he could somehow involve Cammy with the prank, it would be almost be a given that the others would find it hilarious. The idea of five-year-old child successfully pranking their "fearless leader" was too perfect for words.   
Nosedive smirked into the mirror, finally finishing with his bangs. Now that he had idea of how to keep Wildwing from blowing up at him, all he had to do was come up with a prank that Cammy could participate in. It would have to be funny to the others, but interesting enough that Camden would enjoy it as well. There was nothing that hindered a prank's success more than boredom, especially if the person suffering from it happened to be a child.   
He continued to hash out and then eliminate various ideas in rapid succession, frowning in concentration as he dried his hair. There just had to be a prank that would satisfy his need for revenge which would also provide amusement to Camden and keep Wildwing from killing his younger brother. It just happened to remain elusive.   
Unfortunately, Nosedive's concentration was so intense that when Drake One's Alarm went off, he simultaneously jumped in surprise and dropped the hair-dryer on his foot. He let out a string of curses, any of which would have most likely earned reprimand from Wildwing, and tugged the plug out of the wall, not bothering to pick the hair-dryer up. Nosedive left the device and its cord on the floor as he rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing his comm off a stack of comic books on the way to the door.   
Wildwing said that if he was late to the ready room during an alarm one more time, his daily hockey drills would be tripled for a month, regardless of how much Camden wanted to be with him. Nosedive, understanding his brother very well, knew that Wildwing would do just that! Not intending to be late again, Nosedive slapped on his wrist-comm and switched to his battle gear, not missing a step as he sprinted down the corridor.   
His comm beeped half a minute later and he flipped it up, Wildwing's face appearing on the screen, still without the mask, "Baby bro'?"   
Nosedive frowned at the tone of his brother's voice; Wildwing only used it when he was sure he was going to ask Nosedive to do something he wouldn't want to do. "Yeah, 'Wing? What's up?"   
His suspicions were confirmed with Wildwing's reply, "I need you to go to the Infirmary."   
The teenager frowned deeper and slowed down his sprinting, bringing himself to an abrupt stop. "Lemme guess, you want me to go watch over Cammy while you guys go after Dragaunus?"   
"Uh..." Wildwing hesitated, then shook his head. "Tanya says it's some gang activity getting out of hand in one of the suburbs."   
Nosedive somehow frowned even deeper, "They can be even worse than Dragaunus."   
"That's why we need you to stay here," Wildwing stated, quickly continuing before Nosedive could open his mouth in protest, "Both Mallory and Tanya have better medical training than you do. If one of us gets hit, they'll be able to do more about it than you can."   
He cursed under his breath, knowing that Wildwing was right, "And since I'm the only other person that Cammy trusts besides those two.."   
Wildwing nodded, "Tanya already knows the plan and she's waiting for you to arrive before meeting us in the hangar. We can't leave Camden by himself."   
"Right," Nosedive sighed. "Just be careful, okay?"   
"Of course," then Wildwing smiled a little, "I'm not you, remember?"   
"Oh har har," Nosedive rolled his eyes. "See you when you get back, big bro'. And don't let Duke drive, okay? He wrecks the Migrator more than I do!"   
Wildwing snorted, "Tell me about it."   
Nosedive watched his comm go dark, closed it with a sigh, and started running towards the Infirmary.   
  
  
The teenager took a deep breath as he stood in front of the Infirmary door. If Camden saw how worried he was, he would become all the more frightened and harder to handle. No, Nosedive had to make sure there were no cues that Camden would pick up on. It was bad enough that Tanya had to leave the boy; it would be even worse if Camden thought that Nosedive was going to leave as well.   
He punched the proper sequence into the keypad and walked inside as the door opened. The scene that greeted him was expected, but it still broke his heart to see the little boy curled up in Tanya's arms, shivering as Drake One continued to bellow out its warning. Tanya was trying her best to make Camden let go of her shirt, nuzzling him soothingly at the same time, but was having little success.   
"Hey there, little guy," Nosedive put on a reassuring smile as he walked over to the others' side. "It's a bit loud, isn't it?"   
Camden glanced up to him and nodded softly, letting out a small whimper. Tanya's eyes softened as she regarded the scared child and then looked up to Nosedive. "Wildwing told you the plan, then?"   
"Yeah, he did," Nosedive relaxed a little as the alarm finally ended; now maybe they had a chance of getting Cammy to cooperate! "Want me to take the little squirt, then?"   
"Could you? I need to join the others," Tanya nuzzled Camden's brow. "But you'd better not do anything to get him dirty--he just had his bath."   
"Okay, okay," Nosedive rolled his eyes and held his arms out to Camden. "Come on, buddy, let's go and do some fun stuff while Tanya's away! Is that okay with you?"   
The frightened child nodded quietly and unclasped himself from Tanya, reaching out for Nosedive with both arms outstretched. Tanya handed the boy over to Nosedive, then stood quickly. There wasn't time to spare--it had already been a while since the alarm first went off. "I'll see you two later." She gave Camden one last nuzzle and broke out into a run, going through the Infirmary doors before they automatically closed.   
Nosedive sighed, watching her leave. Camden shifted in his arms, then tugged Nosedive's sleeve. "W-Where is Taunny going?"   
"She's going to help some people; she'll be back soon," Nosedive reassured him, but Camden still fidgeted nervously.   
"Y-You promise?"   
"I promise," Nosedive replied, hearing the Migrator rumbled off into the distance. Camden went silent and they sat there together for a while, not sure what to do. And for the first time, for some reason he could not phantom, Nosedive was worried for the others. Maybe it was because he was effectively out of action without having been injured, and that he was still capable of helping out the others. Or maybe it was just his emotions reacting to Camden's unfound worries and fears.   
Nosedive put on his best smile for Cammy, and lead the boy over to a nearby pile of toys scattered on the Infirmary floor. Even if it wouldn't get rid of his worries, playing with the boy would help keep him calm. Something told him it was going to be a long wait.   
  
  


*End of Chapter Two*


End file.
